DECATUR, Ill. -  For the fourth consecutive season, Webster University's men's golf team opened up its delayed 2020-21 season by taking home the team title here Sunday at the Millikin University Big Blue Spring Opener that was held at the South Side Country Club.

The Gorloks, who are the three-time defending St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions, fired a 21-over par 589 as team for 36 holes to win the team title by 13 shots over host Millikin University, who fired a 602 for 36 holes. Carthage College was third as they shot a 164 for 36 holes, while Loras and Concordia-Wisconsin finished tied for fourth as both teams 36-hole team scores of 619. 

After opening the two-day event on Saturday by shooting an 11-over par 295, Webster fired a 10-over par 294 in Sunday's final round. The 294 was the best round that any of the 13 teams shot in the two-day event hosted by Millikin University. The win gave interim coach Matt Gordon his first tournament victory in his Webster tenure.

Webster, who earned a vote in the most recent Division III Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll,  has now opened the season the past four seasons by winning their first tournament as the Gorloks opened the 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons by winning the team title at the Culvers Edgewood College Fall Invitational. 

For the event, Webster had three of its four players finish in the Top 5 of the 72-player field, including two Gorloks placing in the Top 2 of the event. In fact, all four of WU's counters towards the team score finished in the Top 25. 

Leading the way for the Gorloks was senior Will Hocker (Grapevine, Texas/University of Oklahoma) as he followed up his opening round score of 2-under par 69 with a final round score of 1-under par 70 to finish the event with a 3-under par 139 to capture individual medalist honors. Hocker was the only golfer in the field of 72 players to shoot under par on the par-71, 6,375-yard South Side Country Club course.

Hocker won medalist honors by eight shots over a trio of players that shot 5-over par 147's. Among those three players that shot scores of 147 was Webster senior Zac Ciesla (Lake Charles, La./Alfred M. Barbe), who fired rounds of 74 and 73 to shoot a 147 for 36 holes. The other two golfers that tied for second were Millikin's Tyler Reitz (73-74) and North Central College's Sergio Ronchel (73-74). 

Ciesla entered Sunday's final round sitting a tied for seventh place after his 3-over par 74 on the opening 18 holes. 

The No. 3 finisher for the Gorloks was senior Cole Pickett (Greenville, Ill./Keiser University) as he shot a 6-over par 148 for 36 holes to finish in a tie for fifth place. Pickett opened the event by shooting a 5-over par 76 on Saturday, before carding a 1-over par 72 on Sunday. 

Webster's fourth counter towards the team score was senior Mitchell Vetter (Colleyville, Texas/Grapevine) as he carded a 36-hole total of 14-over par 156 as he fired a 76 in the opening round, before shooting an 80 in final round on Sunday to finish in tie for 22nd place.

The Gorloks fifth and final golfer on Sunday was freshman Justin McCoy (Savoy, Ill./Champaign Central) as he shot back-to-back rounds of 79 to place in a tie for 25th place. 

Along with its five competitors playing with the team, the Gorloks also sent one individual - sophomore Cody Surma (Lexington, Ill./University High School) to the event. Surma carded a 9-over par 151 for 36 holes to place in a tie for 11th place. Surma shot rounds of 76 and 75 respectively. 

Webster will continue its 2020-21 season on March 22-23 as they compete at the Lindenwood Invitational, which will be held at Missouri Bluffs Golf Club in Weldon Springs, Mo.